Medicare

Researchers found that in states with medical marijuana laws on the books, the number of prescriptions dropped for drugs to treat anxiety, depression, nausea, pain, seizures and sleep disorders.

A Department of Health and Human Services proposal and an increase in funding could reduce the backlog in appeals of denied Medicare claims by 2021, six years sooner than without the changes.

Counselors nationwide have helped 7 million people choose Medicare plans, challenge coverage denials and get subsidies. But some senators just voted to spend the money on other causes.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission told Congress that rising drug costs helped push Medicare Part D spending up nearly 60 percent between 2007 and 2014. There are options to contain spending.

The seniors of tomorrow will have much higher rates of diabetes and obesity than the seniors of today, according to a data analysis. That means higher medical bills for them — and for taxpayers, too.

Privately run Medicare Advantage plans have overcharged the federal government by billions of dollars, yet Medicare hasn't been effective in recouping the excessive payments, an audit found.

Medicare's "overall hospital quality" rating aims to help consumers by boiling down a variety of measurements into a number star. But Congress asked the administration to hold off on the change.

Medicare now pays doctors $86 to discuss end-of-life care in an office visit that covers topics such as hospice, living wills and do-not-resuscitate orders. But how should doctors get a chat rolling?

A Medicare project will test a new approach for paying primary care doctors that could save money while encouraging physicians to explore alternative ways to serve patients.

The program was tested in YMCAs around the country, and helped people lose about 5 percent of their body weight in a year. The goal is to make it a Medicare-eligible prevention program.